Mary of Guise

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Mary of Guise (aka Marie de Lorraine, 1515-1560) was a French noblewoman who became the second wife of James V of Scotland (r. 1513-1542). With the premature death of her husband, her daughter Mary, Queen of Scots (r. 1542-1567) became queen. Mary was still a minor and so Mary of Guise acted as her regent from 1554 to 1560. A staunch Catholic and supporter of French interests in Britain, Mary was not always popular with more traditional-minded Scottish nobles and Protestant leaders like John Knox (c. 1514-1572 CE). Mary’s daughter did eventually become queen in her own right, and her grandson, James I of England, went on to unify the thrones of Scotland and England from 1603.

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